Old Jeddah photographs on display

The French Consulate is holding a special exhibition of around 50 old photographs of Jeddah and the Hijaz taken between 1895 and 1918, to celebrate 175 years of relations with people of the Arabian Peninsula.
Louis Blin, the French consul general, said that this was the second special exhibition. “Last year we had the first part of the exhibition which focused on the architecture of old Jeddah. This time we also have some of the photos of old Jeddah and the old downtown area of Balad,” he said.
He said most of the photographs were taken during World War I. “We also have other photos from Al-Wajh, Yanbu and the first French military mission in Hijaz. The aim was to show the photos that have not been displayed publicly before, that were brought from the French archives,” he said.
He said the exhibition would be held for an entire week. “We just want to let the Saudi public know that there is a deep and historical relationship between France and Saudi Arabia. We spent 175 years together and will keep this trend going for the next 175,” he said.
A day before the exhibition, a short film about the Hijaz was screened at Blin’s residence. He said it was the first movie shot in Hijaz in 1917. This was followed by a conference on the French vision of the history of the Arabian Peninsula.
Blin said an entertainment program had also been organized with Hijazi music and famous singers including Muhammad Abdu, Abdallah Rashad, Talal Salamah and Muhammad Hashim.